Kai Street ’14

Moving from New York to Georgia several years ago, I faced difficulties, such as getting acclimated to different weather, finding new social groups, and being away from most of my family. Essentially, I experienced a significant readjustment in my life. After graduating from high school, I had the intent of returning to New York to start my undergraduate career. Something managed to keep me in Atlanta though, and I ended up attending Oglethorpe University to pursue my studies.

Everything started when I met up with an old friend and Oglethorpe alum, Evan Britton. It was through him that I first met anyone in Atlanta, as we attended the same high school. It was also through him that I first met brothers Harrison McConnell, Zachary Hamilton, Campbell Walker, and Matthew Tokajaer.

When I first hear the word “brother,” I think of my biological brother – the guy who I grew up with, the one who I looked up to, and the one who I’ve shared many memories with. As we get older, we’ll always have that connection, those memories, and much more. But, as we’ve gotten older, we’ve also grown apart in that he’s started new chapters in his life, just as I’ve started new ones in mine. One of my favorite chapters has been with my newfound brothers – the brothers of the Georgia Eta chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

One doesn’t usually get the chance to pick their brothers but in pledging SAE, I got to choose and be chosen to be part of a life long brotherhood. Attending rush events, receiving a bid for acceptance, learning about the history behind the fraternity, hosting social functions, going to national events, meeting brothers from different generations – it’s almost supernatural. As a senior, I reminisce upon all of these memories and it’s hard to compare this experience to anything else. The bond that I share with these guys exceeds those I’ve held in friendships and amongst teams, but I’ll try to explain in the simplest of ways. My OU Moment started when I joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

The name itself stands out to me, as a reminder of what it has been, what it is, and what it will always be to all of the brothers. Sigma, mathematically, represents the operator for summation, or sum of the total. In relation to my organization, SAE is the sum of everyone’s beliefs, thoughts, and memories that have carried over from generation to generation. Alpha, stemming from its Greek roots, is symbolic of importance and chief responsibility. Through respective social efforts, Sigma Alpha Epsilon members have gained prowess and set the tone as some of the most significant and influential leaders all over the world. And finally, there is epsilon. Epsilon, which was historically created to distinguish between two letters, can represent our individual unity. Every brother has a different background, separate family, and another life outside of the fraternity, but we can all come together as one on any occasion. I can only imagine what experiences I’ll share with the brothers as a fraternity alum, but I know that they’ll be nothing short of extraordinary.